Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ Statue Toppled In Virginia By George Floyd Protesters

A statue of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America during the civil war towering above the famed Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, has been toppled by George Floyd protesters Wednesday night (June 10).

The incident occurred just a day after Christopher Columbus' statue in Minnesota’s state Capitol was knocked to the ground by activists. It represented several instances of confederate symbols being abolished or covered with graffiti across the U.S. by demonstrators pushing for a change in the country’s systematic oppression against non-white communities during the civil unrest sparked by the death of Floyd.

It was shortly before 11:00 p.m. (EST) when the Confederacy was torn from its pedestal and left on the ground at the intersection of Davis and Monument avenues, according to Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Video footage released by the publication appears to show Richmond police on the scene working to whisk it away in a tow truck. "Take it to the dump" and "Throw it in the lake," a bystander shouted at the police.

Per local reports, protesters beheaded and pulled down at least four Confederate statues on the same day in Portsmouth, located about 130 miles from Richmond. On Saturday (June 6), a Confederate statue raised in honor of Confederate General Williams Carter Wickham in Richmond's Monroe Park was also toppled by the angry protesters.

Some tweets by onlookers appeared to give the visuals of the incident.

The Jefferson Davis statue was one among several confederacy monuments lined up on Monument Avenue in Richmond, the city which once served as the capital of the Confederacy. Mayor Levar Stoney of Richmond was set to propose an ordinance aimed at removing all four Confederate monuments along the avenue. He vowed to introduce a bill July 1, under which new state law would grant authority to the local governments to remove the statues on their own, according to the New York Times.

“Richmond is no longer the capital of the Confederacy — it is filled with diversity and love for all — and we need to demonstrate that,” Stoney said in a statement.